


Wrapped Around His Finger

by Tarlan



Category: Eureka (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Episode Related, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-07-26 01:19:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7554604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry has come to see Jack Carter as more than his best friend since Jack crashed into Eureka and became the new Sheriff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrapped Around His Finger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [roseveare](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseveare/gifts).



> For Roseveare - I really hope you enjoy this story.

"Fire in the hole!" Henry shouted out of habit even though he was alone in the workshop, so it was a shock to find Jack standing right next to him, obviously in discomfort with ringing in his ears. "Jack! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in!"

It took a few moments for Jack to shake off the effects of the loud bang but Henry knew he'd be fine, though he also knew he was going to have to re-think his test protocols in future, or at least remember to engage the lock on the workshop door while he was working on anything that could possibly harm anyone else. Although his fingers itched to reach out to touch Jack, to personally check he was fine, Henry turned away to collect the results of the latest test, eager to share the data. Jack had called him to the scene of a strange accident earlier and it had baffled Henry, and he hated a mystery surrounding the loss of a life. Every bone in the victim's body was broken and the injuries looked closer to those sustained by someone falling out of a plane without a parachute, though he recalled Jack's keen observation. 'Except horizontally', Jack had added at the time, because of the friction burns too. It didn't seem possible but every test Henry had simulated so far had given him the same result.

"He tripped and glanced off the car."

"What! At Mach 5?"

It was a surprisingly close guess but, basically, the man had been moving at hypersonic speed when he struck the car a glancing blow. Jack suspected it was drugs and, of course he had already been back to the scene and found what Nathan's men had missed - an ear. Henry wondered how long it would be before Nathan's medical team realized they didn't have all the body parts and went back out to find any missing pieces; he made a mental note to hand over the ear once he had completed his test for unusual chemicals in the blood. With all these thoughts distracting him he wasn't thinking when he handed the test dummy's broken head to Jack.

"Why does it look like me?"

It took a split second to parse the words and he kept his voice matter-of-fact as he yelled back, "It's generic."

However, this particular series of test dummies was special, created from a template of Jack Carter held in the Global Dynamics database. Nathan thought it would be amusing but Henry wasn't the only scientist who had stocked up on a few because they were the closest they'd ever get to having the real thing. Jack had swiftly become his best friend despite the large difference in their I.Q. levels, and Henry couldn't bear the thought of losing that friendship by asking for more from his friend. He had made the same mistake with Kim years ago - or at least he believed he had until Jack proved Jason was a fraud and a liar. He thought he and Kim might have a chance now Jason had been discredited but there had been too much pain to overcome. Kim needed to find herself after years of unknown abuse, and though he must have loved her once, he had moved on. He still cared for her dearly but he'd fallen hard for Jack over the few months since Jack literally crashed into the town.

Yet one more unobtainable desire as Jack seemed more interested in Allison, but Henry knew the heart wanted what it wanted and there was little he could do but accept his feelings for Jack.

He glanced back. Jack was still focused on the broken head in his hands, eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment, and Jack had an uncanny ability to slot pieces of a puzzle together so Henry quickly distracted him with the case on hand. He saw Jack's eyes light up and his smile widen when Henry explained the effects of a speed drug on a person's metabolism. Although confused by the maniacal gleam in Jack's eyes and gleeful smile, he handed over the expensive, prototype MRI pen without a second thought when Jack asked to borrow it, though the content was hardly the kind of material anyone would want to look at while eating lunch. Jack practically skipped out of his workshop leaving Henry shaking his head, falling even harder for the infectious grin and boyish enthusiasm.

Of course Henry heard all about the incident in the Global Dynamics cafeteria later, and how Fargo had given Jack the proof he needed after Nathan had confronted Jack for accosting a team of Section Five scientists at lunch. However, what he didn't hear about until just twenty minutes earlier was the break-in that had happened last evening, with someone threatening Jack inside his own home but moving too fast for even SARAH to capture an image. Jack wasn't at the Sheriff's Office when Henry went to check he was okay but Jo arrived just as he was about to leave.

"Jo," he smiled warmly in greeting. "I was looking for Jack."

"He picked up Dylan Hartwell and is on his way here now."

"Mike and Eleanor Hartwell's son?"

At that moment the door opened and Dylan entered, hands zip-tied behind him, and with a massive bruise forming at the center of his forehead. Jack was right behind him, followed by Zoe.

"Jo," Jack stated, and Jo responded by pressing down on a button on her desk and opening the cell door. "Call Global and get a medic here to check him over."

Usually Jo took mild offense to any orders from Jack but though her eyes narrowed, she nodded and picked up the phone without a word. Henry watched as Jack gently pushed Dylan into the cell and ensured the door was sealed before indicating for Dylan to turn around so he could remove the zip-tie. Jack's movements were stiff and Henry thought he caught a grimace of pain as Jack moved to his desk, sitting down more carefully than usual.

"Jack? You okay?"

Jack waved him off. "Just a little sore. He pulled me from a moving car," he added with a slight whine in his voice, but Henry could tell there was more than just physical pain or annoyance.

"He took my dad's gun and-."

"Zo," Jack warned, but Henry could see the shock, fear, and anger in Zoe's young face as she hovered close to her dad. "Henry, can you take Zoe home for me, please?"

"Dad! No. I'm staying right here."

She was headstrong like Jack, but her eyes were those of a scared child who wanted to be near her father, giving Henry a very bad feeling.

"Jack? What happened?"

Jack winced as he looked up at Henry, but it was obviously more than just a twinge in his neck muscles. "Henry-."

That's when Henry saw the same look in Jack's eyes - shock and fear, though he could also see the physical pain Jack was trying hard to conceal - and Henry pulled together the pieces as he saw Zoe almost plastered to her dad's side. Dylan had taken Jack's gun and he had turned it on him. Either he had missed or he hadn't fired, though Henry knew there was a third alternative, that the young man hadn't known enough about guns to disengage the safety. Attempted murder of a law enforcement officer was a very serious offense, but Henry found all his sympathy for Dylan draining away with the realization that Zoe had almost seen her father killed in front of her, and that he could have lost Jack.

"Jack? What happened?" he asked again, more forcefully.

"Henry... please." Jack begged as he looked hard at Henry.

"No." He couldn't let this go, reaching into the pocket of his overalls he quickly sorted through his patches, tearing off 'mechanic' and replacing it with 'paramedic'. "Jo can handle the prisoner. Why don't I take _both_ of you home and I'll check you over." It wasn't a question, and Henry continued when he saw Jack wavering. "Jack, the alternative is heading up to Global for a medical assessment."

Jack sighed heavily, catching the pleading look in Zoe's eyes. "Fine." He looked a little sheepish. "And to be honest, I don't particularly feel up to driving right now."

Jo gave Henry a nod and a tight smile as Henry offered Jack a hand when it looked as if he was having difficulty standing up. They drove to the bunker in silence, and they were met by SARAH's concern as she run her scans quickly over her occupants.

"Sheriff Carter, I am detecting multiple bruises and minor muscle damage. Should I call Global medical."

For a moment Jack looked horrified but quickly schooled his expression. "Nah! Henry's here, and he has a patch that says he can check me over."

"If you insist, but-."

"No buts, SARAH," he replied but quickly cooled any rising anger. "But if you really want to help then I could do with a beer."

"Or not," Henry added loudly. "If I need to give you any muscle relaxants then its better not to have any alcohol."

Jack sighed in resignation but half-hearted, he agreed to an examination. Zoe seemed to sense her dad's apprehension and announced she was heading to her room. 

Henry watched her bound up the stairs, "The resilience of youth," he murmured, though it was humbling to know she trusted him, willing to leave her dad in his hands.

He followed Jack into the bathroom and watched covertly as Jack began to unbutton his uniform shirt, but a hiss as Jack tried to shrug it off had Henry stepping forward to assist. For a moment Henry felt guilty because stripping Jack naked was one of his favorite fantasies, but not like this. Not when Jack was in obvious pain.

"Thanks, Henry," he murmured as Henry helped him remove his undershirt too.

Henry could see the patches of bruising across his chest and back, disappearing down inside his pants. Without asking, he dropped down to his knees, startling Jack for a moment until Jack realized he was working on the boot laces. Jack held onto a conveniently placed grab-bar, lifting one foot at a time so Henry could pull off his boots and roll off each sock in turn. Afterwards he stood up and stepped back.

"Can you manage the rest," Henry said, indicating towards the pants, trying to keep it professional.

Jack let his pants drop and stepped out of them, leaving him in just a set of pale blue boxers, his cheeks a little flush with embarrassment when Henry noticed he wasn't completely unaffected by stripping in Henry's presence. Jack avoided eye contact, and more pieces of the puzzle that was Jack Carter fell into place when Henry realized this had everything to do with him.

"Jack?"

"Look, you're my best friend," he blurted out. "And I don't want to lose... This is just-" He waved in the direction of his groin.

"Jack," he called again, this time cradling Jack's jaw and cheek, adding a little pressure to make Jack face him, seeing raw anguish mingled with physical pain. He knew Jack was a man of actions rather than words, and it took no effort at all to lean in and kiss him sweetly, softly, before pulling back. Jack look stunned, blue eyes wide.

"Henry," he breathed, gently kissing him back until a slight movement pulled on abused muscles. "Crap," he murmured in pain.

Henry chuckled. "You probably have mild whiplash, so let's see what we can do about this first." He indicated towards Jack's bruised body, "And then I'll take you to bed. To rest and sleep," he added.

When Henry awoke many hours later he was momentarily confused by the heavy weight of an arm slung over his chest. The pale arm was definitely male and the man pressed up against him was now more than just his best friend. After massaging Jack's neck and shoulders, and applying a salve to the worst of the bruises, they hadn't done anything more strenuous than cuddle and fall asleep, but Henry grinned. He knew Jack wanted more; wanted him. He barely had time to dwell on his good fortune before Jack's phone rang. Jack looked up at him blearily before reaching for it, hissing as he rolled over and sat up carefully, favoring abused muscles from yesterday's events

"Go for Carter." Jack kept stealing glances at him as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line, and Henry loved the way his cheeks were slightly flushed and the tiny almost shy smile he cast towards Henry before he straightened up, all his attention now focused on the call. "Allison!" His eyes widened. "What? No. I'm fine. Really. Pain killers... always make me a little... eh, loopy. Yeah, so what can I...? He did what?" His eyes flicked towards him. "Henry? I'll... Um, I'll let him know and ask him to meet us there."

He ended the call, looking a little worried.

"I... Eh, I wasn't sure what to say about... this. About..." He waved a hand between them,"...Us. I didn't want to assume-."

Henry sat up and took Jack's waving hand in both of his.

"Jack," Henry admonished softly, before leaning in and kissing him. "We can talk about... _this_ later. Now, why did Allison call?"

"The traffic signals have shorted out on main street. It's chaos out there apparently... and Fargo might have tried directing the traffic."

Henry winced, pointing a finger at Jack. "Cherry picker and the tow-truck. Right?"

Jack laughed, and it was so easy for Henry to lean over again and kiss him, savoring the moment until they were forced to part.

"Duty calls," Jack murmured, but he was still smiling... then wincing as he climbed out of bed and headed for the shower, seemingly unaware of the show he was putting on for Henry as he padded naked across the room to grab his dressing gown. The mottled bruising looked less angry today but still livid against his pale skin, yet those bruises didn't detract from his beauty. Henry leaned back against the pillows and watched him in full appreciation, his stomach fluttering in that unfamiliar but oh so good way as they embarked on this new facet to their relationship.

His best friend would soon be his partner, his lover too, and Henry couldn't think of anything more wonderful. Jack turned and threw a spare dressing gown at him.

"Come on, those lights aren't going to fix themselves... and that shower is big enough for two." He looked a little shy for a moment. "Plus I could use some help with the harder to reach spots."

Henry shook his head and chuckled at the obvious ploy. "And some of the easy to reach spots too," he added with a smile, eyes dropping to Jack's obvious erection tenting the front of his blue dressing gown.

The heat of embarrassment colored Jack's cheeks again but it was a good look on him, and Henry chuckled as he pulled on the spare dressing gown and followed Jack down the stairs to the bathroom.

Later, with the traffic lights fixed and the world put to rights again after another traumatic day dealing with a runaway teenager and the sad knowledge of Callister's demise, Henry was surprised when Jack asked him to come to the bunker.

"Zoe, we agreed. No more secrets, so I... I want to-. Henry and I are-." He frowned, looking helplessly at Henry.

"What your dad is trying to say is we're together." 

He wrapped an arm around Jack's waist, watching Zoe's eyes go round in surprise.

"Oh. My. God!" she stated, before a huge smile graced her pretty face, and Henry breathed a sigh of relief, listening to her babble before she raced away upstairs.

Henry had a feeling half the town would know by the time they stopped by Cafe Diem for coffee tomorrow. Although Eureka was more tolerant than most small towns, he knew there would be a lot of gossip at first, and a few people would not be happy. Allison, because he suspected she'd felt really flattered having two handsome men vying for her attention, and Nathan because he'd have to learn to tolerate Jack now if he wanted to remain good friends with Henry. Though at least the announcement would stop the silly competition between two men he cared the most deeply about in this crazy town, for Jack would no longer be Nathan's love rival. Perhaps they would have a chance to see if they could be friends now Allison was no longer between them, though more likely they'd find something else to bicker over. Henry smiled at the thought. He didn't mind the bickering as long as it was amicable.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Jack murmured as he watched Zoe race away.

He turned in Henry's arms, hissing when Henry tightened his grip, having momentarily forgotten the day-old bruises on Jack's torso in his desire to hold him closer. Henry winced in sympathy.

"I'll put some more salve on those bruises."

"And maybe another neck massage," Jack hedged, blue eyes wide and filled with hope.

Henry laughed softly, shaking his head fondly. He already caved far too often to Jack's requests for assistance with his law enforcement duties, unable to resist giving Jack whatever he needed - or wanted. In a full relationship he had a feeling Jack was going to twist him around his little finger with ease, and Henry didn't mind that in the slightest, not if he could have all of Jack in return. They climbed the stairs together, and as the bedroom door closed behind them Henry made a mental note to erase the template of Jack from the 'test dummy' process as Jack was his now.

****

A week later he really wished he'd made deleting the template his top priority, wincing every time he had to shoot one of the dozens of test dummies in the head to short its circuits. He watched as the last of the Kamikaze, Jack Carter look-a-like dummies stalked through the town, following its insane program to destroy something. It moved towards the Sheriff's Cherokee, sliding behind the wheel before Henry could get to it. The car started and pulled away in a cloud of dust and smell of burning rubber, spinning 180 degrees at the end of main street and heading back. Picking up speed it headed straight for the large tree in front of the mayor's office.

The real Jack Carter stepped out, "NO! NO! Not the Cherokee!" he yelled frantically.

The Cherokee hit the tree with enough force to crush the front and send the back flipping up. Henry looked on in dismay as the test dummy crawled out with half its body missing and its pseudo-skin peeling off its face. He heard a gun shot, confused when he saw no sign of it hitting anywhere close to the test dummy because Jack was a far better shot than that. Turning, he found Jack staring hard at him in shock, hand clasped to his side. Jack pulled his hand away and stared at it. Red. Blood red. The moment of shock and confusion passed as Jack fell to his knees, his gun dropping from his fingers as he pressed both hands to the wound in his side.

Dropping his gun Henry ran to him, falling down to his knees and yelling for medical assistance as he tore off his shirt before pushing Jack's bloodied hands aside so he could put pressure on the gunshot wound.

"I thought he was one of them!" Fargo cried out in horror, the gun dropping from his lax fingers.

"Medical. Now!" Henry ordered, and Fargo started fumbling for his cell.

Movement caught his eye and he cursed as the ruins of the dummy approached, clawing its way along the road towards him and Jack like some demented machine from a Terminator movie. Henry could see Jack's hand gun just beyond reach even if he could spare a hand, needing to keep pressure on the wound to stop Jack bleeding out. He saw Jack's finger's scrabble and catch at the gun, bringing his arm up shakily and firing off one shot. It hit the dummy right between its demented eyes and it dropped instantly. Deactivated permanently.

****

Henry smiled as Jack tried to wheedle his way out of staying overnight in Global Dynamics infirmary.

"It's only a flesh wound," he whined to Allison.

"You lost a lot of blood, Jack. I need you to stay here under observation."

Jack turned his pleading eyes on Henry. Despite Jack's insistence that he'd been hurt worse in the past, the shot was more than just a flesh wound and Henry wanted to take no chances, so he shook his head firmly.

"Humor us for just for a few hours, Jack," he asked and smiled when Jack sighed and nodded.

Fortunately it was soft tissue damage only - a through-and-through - and as Henry had medical training he convinced Allison to let Jack go a few hours later. He followed Allison back to her office to fill out the necessary paperwork and pick up medication. After digitally signing the relevant forms he looked up to find Allison looking at him nervously.

"Henry... I know about you and Jack and I'm..." She straightened. "I'm happy for you both."

"Thank you."

An hour later he was back in the bunker with Jack settled on the long couch, nestled on pillows and with a blanket tucked around him, and with Henry at his beck and call.

"Fargo shot me," he exclaimed suddenly, looking both horrified and vexed. "Fortunately he's just as bad at shooting as he is at everything else," he added sourly because they all knew who had tried to override the test dummy programming. His eyes narrowed. "Why did they have to look like me? And don't give me that crap about being geriatric."

"Generic," Henry corrected.

"Whatever. It was Stark, wasn't it?"

Henry sighed as Jack proved all too perceptive. "I destroyed the template, Jack, so no more Carter test dummies will be manufactured."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "And what about the ones already out there, from before Fargo got his hands on the programming?"

Henry shrugged, pushing down a twinge of jealousy that there were still at least a dozen Jack Carter test dummies in Eureka, and a few of them were not being used for their original purpose. Jack must have seen something in his expression because he reached out and snared Henry's wrist.

"As much as the thought of someone having a life size replica of me for..." he grimaced. "You know I really don't want to think what they're doing with... GAH! Brain bleach," he stated. Jack shook his head, no doubt to get rid of the disturbing images which had also crowded Henry's head. "The real Jack Carter is all yours, and yours alone," he ended softly.

Henry chuckled happily as he leaned in to kiss Jack. Tomorrow he would convince Nathan to recall every last one of those test dummies because, for the first time in his life Henry had no intention of sharing what he loved with anyone...

"EW! TMI!"

... except Zoe.

END  
 


End file.
